I Tried Marks & Spencer’s Personal Styling Service | Part 1

For someone who loves fashion, I actually find it pretty damn hard to put outfits together. Whether it’s my lack of creativity; lack of time or lack of something else, i’m not sure but I decided I really wanted to start putting together more interesting outfits to become the fashionista I know is hiding somewhere inside me (wishful thinking perhaps). I was scrolling through Instagram the other day when I saw an outfit that was so well suited to me I stopped in my tracks to go and purchase every single item. That was when I noticed that it was in fact an advert for Marks & Spencer’s new personal styling service Try Tuesday. Just like that, my prayers had been answered and I saw hope of well thought out outfits on the horizon.

When you create an account on Try Tuesday, they ask you a series of questions which I’m going to include below alongside my answers if you’re interested!

Which part of your wardrobe would you like to focus on? – I think the choices were work or day-to-day. I went for day-to-day as I’m allowed to dress a little more casual at my office and I wanted items that were going to be suitable 7 days a week.

From here I was asked which look best described my day-to-day style. – Sadly there wasn’t simply a ‘I wear a blouse, jeans and heels at least 6 days of the week’ option. There were 9 different choices though and I opted for Glamorous & Feminine because we’ve all gotta aim high right?!

Next they asked me what age bracket I fit into. I’ve still got a year or so of clinging onto the under 25 category, but the categories went all the way up to 75+ which gave me doubts as to whether I was really the target market for this M&S initiative.

How smart would I like my choices? Casual, Smart/Casual, Smart. I very rarely wear ‘casual’ clothes unless I’m moping round the house so I went for smart/casual to cover all occasions.

What colour palettes am I comfortable in? Bright, Neutral, Understated, Cool, Warm or I like all colours? – Apart from bright pinks and purples I would say I’m pretty much open to suggestions so I selected ‘I like all colours’ and waited for the barrage of fluorescent coloured suggestions to land in my inbox.

How far do I like to step out of my comfort zone? A lot, a little bit, i’d rather not leave it? I’m pretty sure my comfort zone is my go to outfit that I mentioned above, although I love dresses and skirts too so I went for ‘a little bit’. Is that the playing it safe option or what?!

At this step you could say what areas of your body you would prefer to conceal. I’m not going to lie, it’s quite a controversial question in my opinion but I guess if you really hated showing your arms, it would cut down the short sleeve/sleeveless options you got sent. Personally I don’t like items that are really tight around the tops of my legs but as this was a) getting into the realms of getting very specific and b) not an option on the list, I selected ‘i’m happy with everything at the moment’.

This step involved selecting your body shape, the little diagrams definitely helped and there is also an ‘I don’t know’ option in case you’re really stuck. I chose hour glass.

How tall are you? – A really great step in my opinion as the brackets are clearly to differentiate between the petite, regular and tall clothing ranges. I’m 5″4, the lowest end of the ‘regular’ bracket it seems!

The clothing sizes you usually wear. These are split into 6-10, 12-16, 18-22 and 24 and over. They ask this simply so that they recommend items that are in stock!

The final set of questions is actually a fantastic idea and enables inclusivity for all! It asks if you have any mobility issues; if there are any fastenings you struggle with; bust size; heel height that you like and heels that you may struggle walking in if you have mobility issues and finally whether you have pierced ears or not.

There are a few other trivial questions but i’m going to leave this out in an attempt to keep this post a readable length! Once i’d submitted my information, I got an email from my stylist Jodie, introducing herself and saying that my first edit would be with me in a few days. I’ve got to be honest and say my expectations were low, like really low, as other than bras I haven’t bought anything from Marks & Spencer’s clothing for YEARS. Perhaps even right back to school uniform days!

Two days later though, my edit arrived and it had three full outfit suggestions, including shoes and accessories and images that had been the inspiration behind the outfits. I’m not entirely sure how they did it or what software they used but I would say 80% of the ideas were bang on what I like to wear or what I would like to purchase. There is a detailed description of each item, why it was chosen and how else you could wear it (genius!).

Slightly annoying about the addition of a red lipstick as one of the suggestions but maybe thats because I have approximately 99,000 similar at home

The trousers were a) leather so not fab for those who are cruelty free (this wasn’t an option in the questions) and b) they’re £199. Don’t get me wrong they’re gorgeous but oh my god, £200 trousers. Clearly they haven’t seen my disposable income each month!

Similar to above, the shirt is silk and £69 but unlike the trousers, I think if I tried it on and liked it I could be swayed to purchase a silk shirt so I guess this ones a bit of a neutral point.

I don’t like flat shoes very much and mules are definitely not my kinda thing.

The belt didn’t actually come in a small enough size so I had to return it.

When the selection came through, the khaki skirt was already out of stock in all smaller sizes.

Items I have already purchased from this outfit:

Satin Pleated Midi Skirt – so this was out of stock in the khaki when the selection came through but I managed to purchase it in the berry shade instead. A week or so later, Rachael managed to locate a khaki one in the store near her so now I have two different colours!

Ring & Bar Buckle Hip Belt – This was not advertised well as the picture appears to show a waist belt but the one suggested is a hip belt. Even the smallest size was naturally way way too big on the waist so this has had to be returned. I managed to pick an alternative up from New Look but I have a small waist so when I got home, again I have ended up with a belt that’s too big. I’ve since made two separate orders from ASOS getting a very similar belt in two other sizes. The one I’ve ended up with is not too far off being perfect *finally* but if I properly want to wear it as a waist belt it’s going to require Tom to put another hole in to make it the perfect fit. I honestly had no idea how hard it was to buy a belt! This is clearly why I never end up wearing them!

Pure Cotton Embellished Cross Body Bag – I absolutely loved this bag as part of the look, although I’m not sure when else I would wear it and that’s the only reason I didn’t pick it up as it’s a bargain at only £11.99. *This is now out of stock and i’m pretty damn sad*

Items I don’t plan to purchase from this outfit:

Velvet & Satin Flat Mules – nothing wrong with these at all I just really don’t like mules on me, nor do I like walking in them. The design is actually quite cute though!

Pure Cashmere Roll Neck Jumper – I would love to buy this as I bet it’s so soft but I already have a cheaper black turtle neck and I know I’d probably shrink a pure cashmere one!!

Outfit 3: Floral Dress

Pros:

Very different to the other outfits

I love the colours

The dress is both work and social life appropriate

That bag is exceptional

Cons:

Seems like items have just been included to make up the 6 items

I don’t like really long coats

I also really don’t like sock boot style shoes

A thin chain necklace is very generic and I guarantee nearly everyone has a substitute at home.

Items I have already purchased from this outfit:

Velvet Barrel Cross Body Bag – the colour is divine and the style is so different. It’s a smaller bag than I would normally go for but I love it and I don’t have anything like it! *Now out of stock in burgundy but still available in pink*

Spotted Long Sleeve Wrap Dress – at first I was not sure about how this was going to look but it fits great, is really comfortable and it’s both polka dots and floral, what’s not to like? I would say that like 99% of wrap dresses, this does not accommodate for anyone with a bra size above a B so I will need to wear a vest top underneath to stop it being quite frankly indecent.

Items I will not be purchasing from this outfit:

Wool Blend Belted Wrap Coat – There was something about this that I really just didn’t like. It wasn’t really my style and a wool coat isn’t overly practical when it’s so rainy in England!

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick – I have too many lipsticks already so I definitely can’t warrant another one!

Kitten Heel Knee Boots – I already have some knee high black boots so I didn’t need another pair but I’m not a kitten heel or sock boot fan anyway so these would have been a pass regardless.

Part two of this post will be my interpretations of the three outfits, including items I have bought and items I have got at home or found elsewhere. I didn’t want to make this one too long! Which outfit is your favourite? I have got to say I think this is a pretty good first selection. I’ve just received my second selection so let me know if you’d like to see a post on that too.

I can’t wait to see how you wear these! The outfits all seem very you, I can imagine you wearing them all. This service does sound great for people who aren’t sure about styling or are just short on time x